Previewed by a Mach III concept car fitted with a 450-horsepower, supercharged V8 engine, the fourth-generation Ford Mustang (SN-95) was never offered with that much oomph in production trim. The average GT model came with up to 260 horses, while the Cobra topped the output ratings with 390 horsepower toward the end of its life-cycle.
Was the fourth-gen underpowered? Definitely not! However, it also didn't recapture the Mustang's glory from the golden muscle car era when Ford offered V8s with more than 400 horsepower. That didn't happen until FoMoCo updated the fifth-gen Mustang GT to 412 horses in 2011. But if you're a fan of the SN-95, you can always opt for a modern Coyote V8 swap. Like this owner did to create a ludicrously powerful "New Edge" pony.
Not only this 2003 Cobra packs a Coyote V8 under the hood, but it's also strapped to a pair of Precision 68/70 Gen2 turbochargers. Well, I guess this explains the big bulge in front of the windshield. The forced-induction treatment turned the already exciting Cobra into a seven-second dragster. And the owner managed to keep the drop-top road legal.
In the video below, we can see it running against other Mustangs, starting with a fifth-generation coupe. The 2003 Cobra wins by a comfortable margin, crossing the finish line in 7.72 seconds at 177 mph (285 kph). The left-lane pony posts an 8.18-second ET.
Next up, we see the Cobra lined up against a newer, sixth-generation Mustang. The red convertible wins again, this time around with a 7.75-second sprint at 164.17 mph (264.2 kph). That's a tad slower than the previous run, but the driver fixes it during the next sprint, which comes in at 7.62 seconds, to go with a trap speed of 180.19 mph (289.98 kph).
The 2003 Cobra also takes on a different SN-95 Mustang, a newer Chevrolet Camaro, and a Fox-Body Mustang. It wins every single race and runs an even quicker 7.53-second quarter-mile at a whopping 183.32 mph (295.02 kph).
So how much power do you need to run seven-second quarter-miles all day and destroy all competition? Well, dyno footage from 2020 shows this Mustang putting a whopping 1,553 horsepower and 1,222 pound-feet (1,657 Nm) of torque to the ground. A bit powerful, don't you agree? Especially when compared to the stock, 390-horsepower, 2003 Mustang Cobra.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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